05/04/2026
On Good Friday Fr Nathaniel delivered this very deep and moving sermon which we are sharing with you all as reflection.
"They say that one of the hardest things a person can experience is not his or her own death, but the death of someone they love. It may be a parent, a husband or wife, a child, or even a close friend. For me, the reality of death and dying became painfully real when my mother died 24 years ago. The pain, the grief, and the loss were so deep that I still carry them in my heart to this day.
Of course, I never thought I would experience a similar grief again so strongly, but I did—when my closest friend passed away almost a month ago.
Death leaves behind a silence that is difficult to explain. It leaves an empty place in the home, an empty seat at the table, and an emptiness in the heart. It changes us. It reminds us how fragile life is, and how quickly everything we love can be taken away. And sometimes, even after many years, the pain returns as if it happened yesterday.
But today, on Good Friday, we are reminded of something even deeper: God Himself entered into the reality of suffering and death. God did not remain distant. He did not simply watch humanity struggle from heaven. He came down. He became one of us. He walked our roads, carried our burdens, and felt what we feel.
Today, God experienced betrayal.
God experienced rejection.
God experienced abandonment.
God experienced humiliation.
And yes, today God experienced death.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, hung on the Cross—not as a symbol, but as a real man with real wounds. He suffered real pain. He shed real blood. He cried out in agony. And in that moment, He entered into the deepest darkness the human heart can know.
This is why the Cross speaks so powerfully to every grieving heart. Because when we stand before the Crucified Christ, we realize we are not alone. God understands our sorrow. God understands our tears. God understands what it means to lose someone you love.
And standing at the foot of the Cross is Mary—a mother watching her Son die. In her grief, we see the grief of every parent who has buried a child, and every child who has buried a parent. We see the grief of every person who has had to say goodbye too soon.
Yet even on this day of sorrow, we are not without hope. Because Good Friday is not the end. The Cross is not the final chapter. It is the greatest sign of love. Christ died not because He was weak, but because His love was stronger than death.
So today we mourn, but we also believe. We grieve, but we also trust. We stand in silence, but we stand in faith, knowing that death does not have the final word.
And so we proclaim with confidence:
“O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"
